it was a big deal in those days when someone traveled from michigan or louisiana to washington, to help run the social service programs in the district of columbia. in the days before home rule in washington, it was the political wives working with the african-american women who lived there to stitch together a safety net for the citizens of the nation's capitol. there was always the challenge of the political wife to entertain on no money at all, and, of course, she was expected to be the perfect wife and mother. mrs. ford played all those roles, and i'll tell you boy scout mother sounds sweet until you've tried it. [laughter] sunday schoolteacher, leader in the congressional wives prayer group, and yet her official title as it was for most political wives was housewife. it was a title she shared with many american women, and it gave her a great understanding about what women's lives were like. she said once being a good housewife seems to be a much tougher job than going to the office and getting paid for it. she was giving words to the dirty little secret that men always knew. over t